Brandeis named 2007 Jostens ECAC Institution of the Year

Sep 25, 2007

WALTHAM, Mass. - Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)
Commissioner Rudy Keeling has announced that Brandeis University
has been selected as the 2007 ECAC Jostens Institution of the Year.
This award is presented annually to the ECAC institution that best
exemplifies the highest standards of collegiate academics and
athletic performance.

"This is a tremendous honor,"
Brandeis Director of Athletics Sheryl Sousa said. "The ECAC has
held an important role in Brandeis athletics over the years, and we
are proud to be a part of this respected organization. To be
recognized for our success is a tribute to our dedicated staff of
coaches and administrators."

In its third year under Sousa's
leadership, Brandeis had one of its most successful athletic
campaigns in school history. Four Brandeis teams reached the
semifinals of ECAC Division III New England tournaments. The
volleyball team, under head coach Michelle Kim, captured its
first-ever ECAC crown to cap an undefeated home season. Head coach
Mike Coven's men's soccer team won its second ECAC title in team
history as the tournament's fourth seed.

The women's soccer team reached
the ECAC semifinals for the fourth year in a row under head coach
Denise Dallamora, while first-year head coach Jessica Johnson
guided the Brandeis softball team to its first-ever tournament
appearance.

In addition to its ECAC success,
Brandeis had an unprecedented basketball campaign in which both the
men's and women's programs posted 20-win seasons in the same year.
Fourth-year head coach Brian Meehan led the Brandeis men to the
second round of the NCAA tournament in their first appearance in
nearly 30 years, while Carol Simon's women's team turned in their
fourth-straight 20 win season and also reached the NCAA second
round.

In addition to its on-the-field
success, Brandeis had 156 student-athletes named to the University
Athletic Association All-Academic team and three members of the

College Sports Information Directors Association ESPN The
Magazine Academic All-District teams. The Judges also had men's and
women's swimming and diving teams and men's cross country teams
selected to the academic honor rolls of their respective coaching
associations.

Minneapolis-based Jostens,
founded in 1897, is a leading provider of products, programs and
services that help people celebrate important moments, recognize
achievements and build affiliations. The company's products include
yearbooks, class rings, graduation products, school photography and
products for athletic champions and their fans.

The ECAC is the nation's largest
athletic and the only multi-divisional conference with 318
Divisions I, II, and III colleges and universities from Maine to
Georgia and westerly to Illinois. Established in 1938, the ECAC, a
non-profit service organization, sponsors 100 championships in 37
men's and women's sports, assigns more than 5,100 officials in 14
sports, administers 10 affiliate sports organizations and seven
playing leagues and recognizes more than 4,000 student-athletes in
20 sports through the public relations arm of the conference. The
ECAC serves as the primary conference for select members in the
sports of men's and women's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, men's
gymnastics, wrestling, fencing and rowing.

The ECAC Jostens Institution of
the Year award will be presented to Sousa on Sunday, September 30
at the ECAC Honors Dinner at the Sheraton Hyannis Resort in
Hyannis, Mass. Presenting the award will be Jim Dougher, Jostens
National Sports Manager and long-time supporter of the ECAC.